Just beautiful

2017 could so easily have been the Year of the Hedgehog thanks to the arrival of two high-profile Sonic releases. It goes without saying that Sonic Mania is something truly special, a brilliant return to classic 2D platforming for the franchise - but on the 3D side of things, Sega came up short. Sonic Forces was a disappointment, a real shame bearing in mind just how good Sonic Generations was - especially on PC. The game has aged remarkably well, has exceptional modding support and runs well and looks wonderful at full 4K on GTX 970-level hardware. Sonic Generations was released on PC back in 2011, a few weeks after the console versions. Unlike those 30fps efforts though, the PC version allows for smooth 60fps gameplay and higher resolutions. It's powered by the Hedgehog Engine and offers visuals that still hold up beautifully even in 2018. Indeed, in our opinion, the sheer quality of workmanship in the visuals makes this game stand up better than its successor. The visual quality … [Read more...] about Sonic Generations revisited: better than Forces, runs beautifully on PC

There are two main camps when it comes to reactions to the Nintendo Labo announcement. The (correct) ‘holy wow that looks amazing’ group and the ‘it’s just cardboard’ anti-fun party. That latter assessment seems mainly to be based on overlooking the fact the that the $69.99 Toy-Con 01 Variety Pack includes 5 unique toys and games to use them with. Considering Nintendo software is horribly overpriced at the best of times (Hi Gorogoa, a $4.99 mobile game that costs $14.99 on Switch), 70 bucks for five separate games and peripherals almost feels like someone in marketing might have hit their head on the way to filling out the cost forms. Cost and cardboard aside, it’s the ‘peripheral’ bit of all this where Nintendo has played a tactical master stroke: publishers love peripherals. Honestly, they can’t get enough of ‘em. Organisations like EA used to lie awake at night dreaming about making a few hundred thousand slightly … [Read more...] about It’s more than just cardboard

Developer Mojiken Studio has hit upon a peculiar niche. At some point, the studio embarked on '#MojikenCamp2,' "an internal upgrade program by Mojiken Studio to experiment with how to tell stories." The results of this experiment include A Raven Monologue and Banyu Lintar Angin, two beautifully illustrated games which are free on Steam. A Raven Monologue released just yesterday, January 11, while Banyu Lintar Angin came out last March. The former is "a short experimental silent story about a raven that does not know how to croak," while the latter chronicles the daily lives of three siblings in rural Indonesia. The two have radically different stories and art styles, but they have at least one thing in common: they're both absolutely gorgeous. A Raven Monologue has more of a storybook air about it, all prominent outlines and thick hatching. It's lavishly detailed, and its exaggerated characters give it an almost Dr. Seuss vibe. Banyu Lintar Angin, meanwhile, features softer … [Read more...] about These two beautifully illustrated ‘experimental’ games are free on Steam

Destiny 2 brings back Exotic weapons – rare and powerful boomsticks. Let’s take a look at the collection and daydream about putting them to use. Destiny 2 has a stronger focus on story but Bungie hasn’t abandoned the aspect most of us ended up obsessing over: Exotic weapons. As part of our Destiny 2 guide, here’s a list of the currently available Exotic weapons. If you’re looking for armour, see our Destiny 2 Exotic armour hub. You can find all the perk and trait abilities of Destiny 2’s starting set of Exotic weapons below. We expect more Exotic weapons to crop up in Destiny over time, and we look forward to discovering more as they’re added in over the weeks, months, and years to come. In fact, right now we’re working on adding the Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris Exotics to this list. Since they’re exclusive to the expansion, we’re dropping them down the bottom of the page. Please bear with us while we fill in the details, since … [Read more...] about All Destiny 2 Exotic weapons so far: 24 beautiful, deadly boomsticks including new Curse of Osiris additions

Assassin's Creed Origins is an attempt to create a believable world based on historical Egypt in the first century BCE. But while the game is strong on visual realism, there's one area where it diverges badly from historical accuracy: its portrayal of Cleopatra. In Ubisoft's latest historical drama, Cleopatra is tough, smart and ruthless. But she is often clothed in slinky, revealing outfits. She is a femme fatale: exotic, sensual, flirtatious and beautiful. According to leading classicists working today, the woman we see in the game is almost certainly nothing like the real Cleopatra, most especially the way she behaves around men. "Much of what we know about Cleopatra is [Roman] propaganda," says Mary Beard, professor of classics at the University of Cambridge and author of recent best-seller SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome. "It was put about by Augustus after his war with Mark Antony, to discredit them both, and partly to show Antony in thrall to, and misled by, a seductive queen. … [Read more...] about Assassin’s Creed Origins’ promiscuous Cleopatra is just plain wrong